Feign

by Cleo Fox

A Standalone RH
Secrets, forbidden, monster.
These words sound so simple, but they are what make up my life. VR is revolutionizing our world, so it's easier for us to be together even when we're far apart. I never imagined that when my... stepbrother, Issac, invented new gear that makes the experience as life-like as it can get it that it would change my life so much.

I didn't think it would make me see the Pretty Boys: Mason, Logan, and Jin in a different light, or how close we would become. There's only one massive problem, they don't know it's me they're falling in love with, and as the days progress I get more scared of telling them the truth.

Especially when I'm falling in love with them and Issac, the latter can't happen at all, and the former will never forgive me once they know the truth.

♥Senior year of College ♥Steamy Medium-burn RH ♥Eventual BBW love ♥An Afternoon Read ♥Contemporary

283 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2020

Reviews

[Adriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC in Exchange for honest review .

This book takes you to a whole new world, the VR World. In the Vr world you can hide who you really are and become someone else and nobody will know. Persephone uses the VR to escape the stresses of life or lack there of. Persephone starts college and meets the Pretty Boys Mason Logan and Jin who are way to hot and way out of her league according to her, But what happens if they meet in another world, in the VR world?, what happens when they finally meet and get to know each other in the VR world?. What happens when she realises who they are and they realise who she is? What happens when two worlds collide and lines get blurred with vr and reality. Well going to have to read to find out what happens

This book was very different from anything i have read and i really enjoyed it. It took me in a whole different world, i wish i had a game like that lol

This is a RH Standalone

[Paula Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking back, I was so excited to read this book as I had loved Cleo Fox's Woodside Academy series which was a dark romance and a reverse harem. So when I saw that she had a new reverse harem book out and that it had gaming and set in college, it was automatically added to my must-read list. However, I felt this book fell flat for me as I didn't click with the main female character Persephone/Goldie and also the world of VR didn't intrigue me as much as I thought that it might have. In Feign, the main female is a bit overweight and has the world's lowest self-esteem I feel and holds grudges like mad. I found her hard to connect to as I prefer my heroines with a bit more of a gutsy attitude and if she was big, you would expect her to have this big girl confidence but she didn't. The main guys first met her in freshman year and have been attracted to her since then. The thing though is that they haven't outright told her and so they have this weird friendship going on. That's in the real world though, but in VR - the guys are having a relationship with Persephone. The thing is though they have no idea who is who in the world of VR, which again for someone wealthy and good at tech, you would have thought that they could have hacked or found out the girl's real name and then put two and two together. Overall, if you love RH and want to see how a novel works in VR, then Feign is the read for you but for personally it was borderline as I felt the whole VR scenario not sitting right for me.

[Reyne Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feign is an original reverse harem novel, with parts set in a virtual reality world and also college. It is definitely different, not only because of the VR element, but because the heroine isn't your run of the mill stick thin type. Persephone is curvy and beautiful, and it's satisfying to see her self confidence grow throughout as the book pregresses. If you enjoy a quick read with a satisfying ending, hunky heroes, a bit of drama, and a why choose theme, this one should definitely hit the spot. 4 Stars!

[Jennifer G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Persephone is more comfortable playing in VR than her actual reality. In VR, thanks to new cutting edge technology developed by her step-brother, she can look like she wishes. In her real life, she's overweight, has been bullied, and lacks confidence. In VR she is a goddess. But when her worlds collide, she discovers things aren't always as they seem and maybe she can be a goddess in real life too.

There are some really good things about this contemporary RH but I did have a couple complaints. First and foremost, it is RH, my favorite genre. Yay! The VR storyline is awesome. I want it. The idea of being able to fully immerse oneself into a world where you can be anyone you want, do anything you want without risk is so much fun. I loved the setting of the Arts School. Again, fun! The characters were all likable enough but I am going to voice an unpopular opinion here. I know many readers clamor for diversity; I am not one of them. I like my characters physically superior to my real world. I especially don't want them harping on their perceived flaws. I like to escape when reading, I am willing to suspend reality and have everyone picture perfect. So this wasn't an ideal read for me. The cover of the book supports my preferences more than the main character inside the pages did. I also had a problem with the petty bullying at their age. Persephone's roommate was just awful and no one ever put her in her place, including Perse. I hope this is more a fictional issue rather than a real life one. If people only came in one size, one hair color, cookie-cutter look, we would be a pretty dull world. Persephone was talented and when confident, I liked her. Finally, I wasn't happy with Isaac's role in the story. I didn't feel it was fully developed and then it was abbreviated. I don't think it accomplished what it was intended to do. But the overall story was entertaining and left you wanting to jump into the pages yourself.

[Kendall Copeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received and ARC from the author for a honest review.
SOME SPOILERS:
This book was amazing!!! I’m so sad it’s only a stand-alone. I attached with the characters in ways I don’t in other RH books. The MC, Ava (Perse) Goldstein, Logan Hill, Jin Lee, and Mason Jacobs took my heart immediately.
I love how they kept going, and posted on their blog that they loved her, even if she’s not the same size others were.
I’m kinda proud of the characters for still going after what they wanted, though a little confused that they fell in love with her at a party?? I know there’s insta-love, but I was surprised. I expected it to be because of how she helped someone out, or really something other than the fact that she came to a party in a homemade dress(not hating on the homemade dress, that sounds amazing).
But still, this book is a must read and is perfect for fans who like Ready Player One, and RH. I will definitely be reading other books by this author.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this take on a contemporary rh! Also the fact that by and large society is portrayed as being accepting of the multipartner lifestyle. Also, yay for a plus sized heroine! Makes it so much easier to put myself into the story when the main character is already built like me.

How much fun would it be to have VR where you could fully interact? Real life sensation while getting to play out your dreams and fantasies. Persephone and her guys have a bit of a journey to their HEA, but it is such a fun and sweet journey.

[Margaux Espinosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! I loved the characters and how easily I related to Ava. The VR aspect was new to me but I really enjoyed it. This was definitely a creative, heartfelt and fun read. It always makes me feel good when the characters get their HEA, especially when they go through something difficult and heartbreaking. Can’t wait to read more from Cleo Fox in the future.

[Paige T · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book after seeing a few people recommend it - the blurb sounded interesting with the whole VR aspect, and I love a good stepbrother romance.

Unfortunately the "four years later" time jump at chapter 2 made too many of the plot points unbelievable.
The guys had one brief conversation with the FMC, and then it's 4 years later and she hasn't really spoken to them, but they love her? And all their vlog fans are still supporting and cheering them on for going after her? That's so unrealistic that after one brief conversation they'd still be holding out 4 years later, and that fans wouldn't have thought they should have moved on by now.
As for the vlog from the party - would the guys really not have had an opportunity in 4 years to show it to her? And she wouldn't have been curious at all during those 4 years?
I'm also really not sure what the point of the possible romance arc with Issac was, and resolving that 'conflict' (if you can even call it that) was a disappointing cop out. ...

[Gina Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

So i read quite a lot and I have a certain type i have come to discover. I try to support all the authors I can and I do try but RH authors just have just a little extra something. I read hundreds of books but I love when I find an author I have never heard of and then i find alot of her books are EXACTLY what I LOVE. Feign was no different. She is a plus size FMC which right away spoke to me(fluffy girl over here) and I just loved that the guys fell for her the way they did. I was so emotional throughout the book just to see how much they adored her. BUT OMG that twist at the end killed me..But all in all this book is a must read...I am so pumped to see what else Cleo has...

[Jessie Shepps · Rating 3 out of 5]

RH romance

Interesting take on VR romance. Persephone had a lot of self image issues. The guys were into her anyway. I wasn’t found of what happened with Issac though. But this book was a quick and easy read.

[Clare Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet

A quick sweet and gentle read that is a nice balm for the world going to hell in a handbasket